Roofing member with shadow effects

ABSTRACT

A roofing member is implemented as a part of a roof covering system to provide the look of an individual shingle roof covering in a panel-like system with improved ease of installation. The roofing member includes a panel having a top surface, a bottom surface a butt portion, a upslope portion, a first side portion and a second side portion. Formed onto the top surface of the panel are a set of elongated shadow channels extending from the butt portion to the upslope portion on the top surface of the panel to divide the top surface into a set of raised profile sections having regions that are lighter in coloration than the elongated shadow channels. This configuration provides the visual effect of individual shingles in the areas of the raised profile sections with gaps between laterally adjacent shingles provided by the shadow channels. Optionally, a laterally extending shadow line may be included to intersect with the shadow channels and further delineate the border of the raised profile sections providing the individual shingle look.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various roofing products have been designed for use as an environmental barrier layer on the roof deck of buildings. Some examples include asphalt sheets and shingles, wood and stone shingles, composite shingles, and metal panels and shingles. Most of these products are used on sloped or pitched roofs, although asphalt sheeting is commonly used on horizontal or low-pitched roofs as well. Metal paneling can be advantageous because of its relatively low cost of manufacture and speed of installation on a roof deck as compared to other roofing products that require a large number of individual shingles to be installed to cover a roof. For instance, a single metal panel may form a portion of a roofing course or row and may have a footprint as large as two, three, ten, or any number of conventionally sized individual shingles. Various textures and embossed profiles can be stamped into metal panels to give metal paneling a more natural look. Also, metal panels can be painted any desired color and coated with certain substances so that the panels maintain their appearance over a long period of time and avoid the degradation of natural materials, such as wood.

One drawback of traditional metal paneling, however, is that such paneling does not achieve the look of more narrow individual shingles. While relatively large sections of metal paneling leave fewer gaps for air and water to penetrate the underlying layers of the roof deck, as compared to individual shingles, metal paneling is often criticized for presenting a “tin roof” look that is not aesthetically pleasing. It would be desirable to provide the stability, low maintenance characteristics, and ease of installation of metal paneling in a product that replicates the look of individual shingles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A panel-type roofing member is provided with a main body region bounded by a periphery. The roofing member may be fabricated from sheet metal or other materials. The main body has a top surface and a bottom surface, and the periphery provides a butt portion, a upslope portion, and opposed first and second side portions. Extending from the first side portion to the second side portion are a number of raised profile sections generally separated from one another by elongated shadow channels. The raised profile sections may be formed into an irregular pattern where some areas are raised more than others to give visual depth and a natural material look (e.g., stone, wood shake, slate) to the roofing member. In one aspect, a stamping process may be used to form the raised profiles. The elongated shadow channels form valleys between laterally adjacent raised profile sections and generally have a darker coloration than the such raised profile sections to delineate visual breaks in the continuous panel that resemble gaps between adjacent individual shingles. A transverse shadow line may intersect the elongated shadow channels near the upslope portion of the periphery to combine with such shadow channels to surround individual raised profile sections and give the appearance of individual shingles. Fold over cantilevered legs may be formed at the butt portion and the upslope portion of the periphery to attach with additional courses of panel-type roofing members moving vertically up a pitched roof. In a similar fashion, additional fold over cantilevered legs may be formed at the first and second side portions of the periphery to attach with additional panels in the same row moving laterally across the rook to complete a given roofing course.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roofing member in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a roof covering system formed by the interconnection of the roofing members in individual courses;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 showing the interconnection between laterally adjacent roofing members in a given course;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 showing the interconnection between roofing members in different courses; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the roofing member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A panel-like roofing member 10 of the present invention is shown generally in FIG. 1. The roofing member 10 provides the visual effect of a strip of individual shingles on a unitary panel that can be installed with less labor than individual shingles. Generally, the roofing member 10 is defined by a main body 12 having a top surface 14 and a bottom surface 16, with the main body 12 being bound by a periphery 18. A butt portion 20 and a upslope portion 22 of the periphery 18 represent the front portion and the back portion, respectively, of the roofing member 10. More specifically, when a course or row of roofing members 10 are installed on a roof deck of a building, the butt portion 20 is placed at a roof eave and locked to starter flashing (or in subsequent courses, is positioned to at least partially overlap the butt portion of a lower course of roofing members) and the upslope portion 22 extends up the roof to at least partially underlie the next course of roofing members 10 when installed. This type of roof covering assembly pattern is shown in FIG. 2, and will be explained in further detail below. The periphery also includes opposed side portions 24 that extend between the butt portion 20 and the upslope portion 22.

When laid upon a generally planar section of a roof deck, the top surface 14 of the roofing member 10 is exposed for viewing. Formed into the top surface 14 are a series of raised profile sections 26 that visually represent individual shingles. The raised profile sections 26 extend front to back on the top surface 14 generally from the butt portion 20 to the upslope portion 22 of the periphery 18, and may be arranged with respect to one another according to any desired pattern. For instance, the raised profile sections 26 may be in direct lateral alignment between the side portions 24 as shown for the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the raised profile sections 26 of the roofing member 10 may be offset from one another, for example, in a staggered pattern along a front edge 28 of the butt portion 20 of the periphery 18. The raised profile sections 26 shown in FIG. 5 are depicted as having the same peak height H. In another embodiment, the peak height H can vary in magnitude among the adjacent raised profile sections 26. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that other desired configurations and patterns for providing raised profile sections 26 on the roofing member 10 may be selected as a matter of design choice.

A series of elongated valley-like channels 30 are formed between the raised profile sections 26 on the roofing member top surface 14 to achieve separation between the sections 26, as can be seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. To enhance the natural shadow effect provided by the elongated channels 30 being at a lower height than the adjacent parts of the raised profile sections 26, the elongated channels 30 have a darker coloration than the sections 26. The elongated channels 30, therefore, appear as breaks or gaps between adjacent individual shingles that are represented by the raised profile sections 26. In one embodiment, each elongated channel 30 has an average coloration that is darker than at least the coloration of lateral regions 32 of the raised profile sections 26 that are immediately adjacent to the respective elongated channel 30. Alternatively, both a central region 34 of any given raised profile section 26 and respective flanking lateral regions 32 may all have a lighter coloration than the average coloration of immediately adjacent elongated channels 30. The elongated channels 30, as shown generally in FIGS. 1 and 2, are linear channels parallel with one another, and have a constant width. Depending on the visual effects desired, however, the elongated channels 30 can be non-linear, and present varying widths and heights to provide the look of a given type of shingles. Preferably, the elongated channels 30 extend from the butt portion 20 to the upslope portion 22 of the periphery 18. A lateral shadow line 36 may also be formed on the top surface 14 of the roofing member 10 proximal to the upslope portion 22. The shadow line 36 extends from one side portion 24 to the opposite side portion 24 of the periphery 18 to intersect with each elongated channel 30, and preferably has a coloration similar to or the same as the elongated channels 30 (i.e., darker than at least some regions of the raised profile sections 26). In this way, the shadow line 36 defines a visual back edge for the individual shingles formed by the raised profile sections 26.

The roofing member 10, in one method of manufacture, may be stamped from a piece of sheet metal. For instance, the roofing member 10 may be impressed from the direction of the bottom surface 16 with a male die tool while the top surface 14 is in contact with a female die tool, to shape the raised profile sections 26. Each raised profile section 26 of a given roofing member 10 may have the same die pattern or different die patterns. In either case, the die may provide an irregular textured look to the raised profile sections 26 to produce a different surface shading effect in different regions of the sections 26 depending on the direction of light reflecting off of the roofing member 10. In one embodiment, the stamping creates the raised profile sections 26 as rectangular stone or slate-like “shingles”. The distinction in coloration between the raised profile sections 26 and the elongated channels 30, as well as the shadow line 36, may be accomplished by various methods. For instance, the elongated channels may be painted or otherwise coated with a pigment that is darker than pigments applied to certain regions of the raised profile sections 26. Preferably such coatings should be resistant to temperature extremes encountered by metal roofing products that are generally highly thermally conductive. Various UV coatings and rust inhibitors may also be applied to the roofing member top surface 14 to protect the pigments from environmental degradation.

The periphery 18 of the roofing member 10 includes fold over cantilevered legs 38 that are used to interconnect adjacent members 10 laterally across a course and to additional courses upward or downward from the current course to create a roof covering system 100 as illustrated in FIG. 2. One method of forming the cantilevered legs 38 includes bending of flanges 40 at the butt portion 20, upslope portion 22 and side portions 24 of the periphery 18 so that the terminal edges 42 face back towards a region either below the bottom surface 16 or above the top surface 14 of the main body 12. Preferably, the cantilevered leg 38 of the butt portion 20 faces the bottom surface 16 of the given roofing member 10 (and the top surface 14 of a lower course of roofing members 10) and the cantilevered leg of the upslope portion 22 faces the top surface 14 of the given roofing member 10 (and the bottom surface 16 of an upper course of roofing members 10), as illustrated in FIG. 4. This allows for water impacting the roofing covering 100 installed on a pitched roof to flow down the courses without being trapped inside one of the cantilevered legs 38. Also, the cantilevered leg 38 of one of the side portions 24 faces the bottom surface 16 of the given roofing member 10 (and the top surface 14 of the laterally adjacent roofing member 10) and the cantilevered leg of the opposed side portion 24 faces the top surface 14 of the respective roofing member 10 (and the bottom surface 16 of the laterally adjacent roofing member 10), as illustrated in FIG. 3, so that only one type of roofing member 10 is needed to form a given row or course of members 10. Therefore, interlocking of laterally adjacent roofing members 10 in a given course by the cantilevered legs 38 may be conducted as shown in FIG. 3. Likewise, interlocking of upper and lower adjacent courses of roofing members 10 moving up a pitched roof by the cantilevered legs 38 may be conducted as shown in FIG. 4. The use of the lateral shadow line 36 creates a visual break between the raised profile sections 26 of one roofing member 10 course near the peripheral butt potion 22 thereof and the butt portion 20 of another roofing member 10 course, as seen in FIG. 2. One or more cantilevered clips (not shown) may extend from the bottom surface 16 to secure the roofing member 10 to an underlying structure (e.g., roof deck, felt or other underlayment layer). Alternatively, nailing holes (not shown) may be provided along the periphery 18 of the roofing member 10 or at other relatively inconspicuous locations (e.g., in the lateral shadow line 36) to secure the roofing member 10 to an underlying structure.

The roofing member 10 may provide any number of raised profile sections 26, such as two, three, five, ten, or any other number. In one embodiment, the number of raised profile sections 26 and overall length and width of a given roofing member 10 is selected to provide a roof covering section that is easy to handle upon a roof deck but large enough to provide significant installation time savings over individual shingles having sizes that are the same as each individual raised profile section 26.

The roofing member 10 of the present invention provides a roof covering system that is less burdensome to install on a roof as compared to conventional individual shingles, but provides the appearance of an individual shingle roof covering. Since certain changes may be made in the above invention without departing from the scope hereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are to cover certain generic and specific features described herein. 

1. A roofing member comprising: a panel with a main body having a top surface and a bottom surface and a periphery including a butt portion, a upslope portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, the top surface of the main body being formed as a plurality of raised profile sections laterally adjacent one another with a plurality of elongated channels at least substantially separating the plurality of raised profile sections from one another, wherein the plurality of elongated channels have a darker coloration than at least a substantial part of the plurality of raised profile sections.
 2. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised profile sections are each rectangular in shape.
 3. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised profile sections have raised profiles that are irregular.
 4. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the panel has a first fold over cantilevered leg formed at the butt portion of the periphery and a second fold over cantilevered leg formed at the upslope portion of the periphery, wherein one of the first fold over cantilevered leg and the second fold over cantilevered leg faces the top surface of the main body and the other of the first fold over cantilevered leg and the second fold over cantilevered leg faces the bottom surface of the main body section.
 5. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the periphery of the panel has a third fold over cantilevered leg formed at the first side portion of the periphery and a fourth fold over cantilevered leg formed at the second side portion of the periphery, wherein one of the third fold over cantilevered leg and the fourth fold over cantilevered leg faces the top surface of the main body and the other of the third fold over cantilevered leg and the fourth fold over cantilevered leg faces the bottom surface of the main body section.
 6. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongated channels extend linearly from the butt portion to the upslope portion of the periphery.
 7. The roofing member of claim 6, further comprising a shadow line extending laterally along the top surface of the main body proximal to the upslope portion of the periphery and intersecting with the plurality of elongated channels.
 8. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein each raised profile section of the plurality of raised profile sections extends from the butt portion to the upslope portion of the periphery.
 9. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the panel is formed of metal.
 10. The roofing member of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised profile sections have been fabricated by stamping the panel with a preselected pattern.
 11. A roofing member comprising: a panel having a top surface, a bottom surface a butt portion, a upslope portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, the top surface of the panel including a set of elongated shadow channels extending from the butt portion to the upslope portion on the top surface of the panel to divide the top surface into a set of raised profile sections having regions that are lighter in coloration than the elongated shadow channels.
 12. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein each raised profile section of the set of raised profile sections has a central region flanked by lateral regions, at least the lateral regions having lighter coloration than the elongated shadow channels.
 13. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein the set of raised profile sections are each rectangular in shape.
 14. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein the set of raised profile sections have raised profiles that are irregular.
 15. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein the panel has a first fold over cantilevered leg formed at the butt portion of the panel and a second fold over cantilevered leg formed at the upslope portion of the panel, wherein one of the first fold over cantilevered leg and the second fold over cantilevered leg faces the top surface of the panel and the other of the first fold over cantilevered leg and the second fold over cantilevered leg faces the bottom surface of the of the panel.
 16. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein the panel has a third fold over cantilevered leg formed at the first side portion of the panel and a fourth fold over cantilevered leg formed at the second side portion of the panel, wherein one of the third fold over cantilevered leg and the fourth fold over cantilevered leg faces the top surface of the panel and the other of the third fold over cantilevered leg and the fourth fold over cantilevered leg faces the bottom surface of the panel.
 17. The roofing member of claim 12, wherein the set of elongated shadow channels are linear channels parallel with one another and extending from the butt portion to the upslope portion of the panel.
 18. The roofing member of claim 11, further comprising a shadow line extending laterally along the top surface of the panel proximal to the upslope portion thereof and intersecting with the set of elongated shadow channels.
 19. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein each raised profile section of the plurality of raised profile sections extends from the butt portion to the upslope portion of the panel.
 20. The roofing member of claim 11, wherein the panel is formed from a metal substrate that has been stamped with a preselected pattern to generate the set of raised profile sections.
 21. A roofing member comprising: a metal panel having a top surface, a bottom surface a butt portion, a upslope portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, the top surface of the panel including a set of raised profile sections, each raised profile section being separated from a laterally adjacent raised profile section by an elongated shadow channel having a coloration that is darker than at least a substantial portion of the raised profile sections laterally adjacent to the respective elongated shadow channel. 